Hatred
by Loverly Light
Summary: Inspired by Ryou's line from MW volume 1. Bakura never would have guessed Ryou would actually admit to hating him. But that wouldn't stop him from taking advantage of it.


Disclaimer and note: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. So there. Anyway, when I say this is based off the manga, I mean it. It takes off right after a part that I believe is manga-only, so while you'll be able to understand it if you've only watched the anime/whatever, you won't understand it as well and I'm not giving any context.

Hatred

Ryou collapsed on his bed, clutching his pillow to help it consume his face. His body tremored with the force of the sobs he had been attempting to hold back ever since he rushed out of the museum. It just wasn't fair! He had been friends with Yuugi almost as long as everyone else, and he cared about him just as much as they did! So why… did he have to be the one forbidden to come?

Ryou let out another cry as he remembered whose fault it was he was left behind like this. At least he had managed to keep himself from crying out loud until he was home, where he was alone…

"Congratulations, host."

Ryou's eyes shot open. He slowly shifted onto his back to see Bakura leering at him. The boy's fists clenched around his blanket, but he made no other movement. He had _thought_ he was alone. He figured Bakura would have left already.

Ryou glared up at his yami, despite his sudden twinge of nervousness as he suddenly digested Bakura's words. Bakura complimenting him could not be good.

"Leave me alone. You've caused me enough grief for one day."

Bakura chuckled. "I highly doubt that. But don't you want to know why I'm so proud of you?"

Ryou kept silent, even though he knew Bakura could sense his curiosity.

Bakura lazily sat down next to Ryou, causing the boy to quickly sit up, scooting away from the spirit. Bakura just chuckled once more and swung his legs onto the bed, lying down a second later. Ryou inched away until he was at the very edge of his bed but didn't stand up, warily looking at the too-casual yami.

"My, so jumpy today, host." Bakura laughed.

Ryou flushed slightly in annoyance. "Just… leave. It's all your fault." Ryou demanded quietly.

"Ah, but that's just what I wanted to commend you on."

"H-huh?" Ryou asked, unconsciously allowing his confusion to leak into his tone.

Bakura smirked, but brought a finger to his chin in mock contemplation. "What was it you said earlier…?"

Ryou's face turned bright red in anger and embarrassment as he realized what his darker half had to be talking about.

"I-I said nothing." Ryou denied, lowering his head to keep himself from looking in Bakura's eyes.

Bakura laughed loudly. "No, not out loud. But you virtually screamed it mentally."

The yami suddenly shot up, leaning forwards so his face was only inches from Ryou. The boy let out a gasp and leaned backwards, unable to retreat without falling off the mattress. Bakura smirked darkly.

"You said you hated me. I wouldn't have thought you were capable of such an emotion."

"I…" Ryou frowned. "Of course I feel hatred. It's a natural emotion."

Ryou didn't like the way Bakura laughed at his response.

"Natural, yes. But that doesn't make it right."

"Right…?"

"People are in their very nature evil. Or should I say… your true nature is evil."

Ryou's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Bakura lay back down with a sigh. "Very well, I'll explain. Hatred is a dark emotion, natural yet evil."

"I-I know. So?"

"So, yadonushi… did you hate before you gained the Ring?"

Ryou blinked as he considered his yami's question. He had never thought of that before. At first he would have responded 'of course', but to tell the truth… he couldn't remember hating anyone before he met Bakura.

"No." Ryou breathed, confused.

"I knew it." Bakura said smugly. "Slowly you are re-realizing yourself as part of the Thief King… part of me."

Ryou gasped. "What are you saying?" he demanded.

"You were separated from me when I was sealed in the Ring. You were all the kinder, softer parts of me… things I had no need of in my quest for revenge. But separated from me, you became suddenly useful; as a gateway to release me into the real world once more, as soon as you became reborn. But now that my existence has been unlocked once more… it would be more convenient to have our souls one once more, to get rid of that annoying tendency you have of going against my will, for one. But I can't just bind our souls together like that. So…"

"So…?" Ryou gulped, trying to process the information he was getting. He knew he and Bakura were in some way the same person, but this?

"M-my whole existence is just a part of some scheme you set up millennia ago?" Ryou whispered.

"No, not just _my_ scheme, yadonushi, yours as well. We were the same person, you know, and hopefully will be again. If I may continue with my explanation."

Ryou noticed his yami had adopted a vaguely annoyed expression and nodded his head quickly in the hopes of deferring anger.

To his relief, his yami relaxed once more. "Because our souls are no longer… compatible, something must be changed. Once that happens, your soul will easily and naturally fuse with mine. You are what must be changed. You must be made into the same as I, then we will be one again."

"I… I don't understand… y-you said I was your nicer side, so why wouldn't…?"

"Yadonushi, while we _were_ once the same thing, we are now irreparably separate, as long as you are what you are now. You are now pure light, and I am pure darkness. Light and dark must co-exist, but never join. One of them must change, and…"

Here Bakura leaned in once more, inches from his host.

"It is so much easier to sully the light than to purify the darkness."

Ryou gulped and leaned back, fists clenching his coverlet tightly to keep from falling backwards.

"I…"

"However, since you were born out of nothing but light… all feelings of darkness were foreign to you, weren't they? Until I showed up. Ever since we met again, I've been conditioning you for the day you rejoin me. It was a tricky process, but it finally seems to be paying off. Things can only progress from here."

"N-no… no." Ryou shook his head violently, unknowingly letting go of the blanket, causing him to tumble headfirst off the back of the mattress. He quickly scurried into a sitting position, moving backwards in fear.

"No?" Bakura mimicked, raising an eyebrow in amusement at his hikari's antics.

"I won't… become you. I can't." Ryou shook his head once more.

Bakura surveyed his host coolly, pondering whether to look at him eye-level once more before deciding he preferred where he was.

"Really? Very well. Amuse me. Try."

"T-try…?"

"The course is set; things are now in motion. The only way to get out of it is to go back to your innocent prior self. Try not to hate me, yadonushi."

Ryou glanced as his feet miserably. He didn't have to try. He knew he wouldn't succeed. He could feel all his hate and anger burning him, unmovable. He had rarely experienced such strong, overpowering emotions before, and he didn't know what to do about it. He glanced up at his yami in bewilderment, almost begging with his eyes for the spirit to save him and take away this terrifying new power.

Bakura, of course, simply laughed.

"Well, I have to go now, my host… just stay here and cultivate that wonderful hatred, hmm?"

Bakura stood up from the bed and kneeled, cupping Ryou's chin in a faux-gentle manner. Ryou closed his eyes, forcing himself not to move away from the icy digits.

Bakura got up off the carpet and strode from the room, leaving to take care of the Pharaoh. Ryou let his head drop and pulled his knees tighter to his chest and tried to keep himself from crying.

He had guessed ever since he met the yami that he and Bakura were somehow the same, but he would never have guessed this. He always thought that Bakura would use him as a host for a while, maybe several years, but that he was ultimately his own person and that one day things would change; he would be free and he could go back to a normal life. But now it seemed it would change, but in completely the wrong way. He didn't want to become like his yami. No… no, this was worse. He would not just be like his yami; he would _be_ his yami. Ryou Bakura would not exist even in name any more.

And it would be all his own fault. There was no way for him to win. He couldn't turn back his fate, and he couldn't help but hate Bakura.

If Bakura didn't disappear soon… Ryou would.

And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

* * *

Author's notes: Yes, I know, not a very happy ending. But actually, the series itself provides Ryou with a happy ending, since Bakura's gone so Ryou won't have to fuse with him. ^^

Interestingly enough, I hadn't planned for Bakura's revelation to be part of the story originally. Funny how things work out. (Although, it is kinda sad, since I guess now both Ryou and Ryuji only existed to become tools in a madman's revenge…)

Anyway, please review, and thank you so much for doing so!


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